Alice Springs multicultural communities coming together for Harmony Day
More than 15 different multicultural groups will be coming together for a special event in the heart of the Red Centre.
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Bands, hair braidings, food trucks and cultural performances are some of the ways a Red Centre town will be celebrating its multiculturalism.
Alice Springs Town Council lawns are set to come alive for Big Day out in Harmony on Saturday June 1, with the event running from 12 to 4pm.
In its 12th year, the event began in 2012 and runs in partnership with the NT government, Alice Springs Town Council and is organised by Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia.
June 1 will see 16 different cultural performances on the town council lawns, as well as food trucks and cultural stalls where attendees can try a sari, try a turban, get a henna hand painting, partake in African hair braiding or witness a Chinese lion dance presentation.
Opened with a welcome to country by Arrernte Elders, South Pacific dance troupe Desert Paradise will take the stage, with headliners Immy Owusu and his band – who fuse West African Highlife with Australia coastal rock – closing out the day.
Alice Springs Malayi community will also be performing, with lead choreographer Haseena Jibish saying they are proud to showcase their culture to the town.
“Malayali community, whose traditional roots are from the southern region of India play a very significant role in designing the socio cultural face of Alice Springs,” she said.
“This year we are aiming for purely cultural performances. The first one that we are really proud to present is an oppana, which is a popular form of social entertainment prevalent among the Muslim community of Kerala, India.
“We are looking forward for the big day to occur and perform our level best and also eager to see the art forms of other cultures too.”
Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia chair Mona Ulak said the organisation was proud to put the day on.
“’Big Day out in Harmony’ is the festival when we celebrate our unique and diverse culture of Central Australia,” she said.
Entry is free and door prizes are also available.
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